Walter Mazzarri To Leave Watford On Sunday

Watford club confirmed on Wednesday manager Walter Mazzarri will be leaving his post on Sunday, as Watford host Manchester City for their last game of the season.

The sacked Italian who had a big reputation in Italy joined the Hornets last summer when he was awarded a three-year-contract. He made a good first impression after beating Manchester United 3-1 in one of his first five Premier League games. But since December Watford have only won five games in the league since which now leaves them in 16th place of the Premier League table.

The former Milan and Napoli manager took over from Spaniard Quique Sánchez Flores who was sacked by Watford last summer, to become the seventh Watford manager hired by Italian owner Gino Pozzo since his family took over the club in 2012.

The language barrier has been known to be an issue and despite Mazzarri taking English lessons, he’s said to often bark orders in Italian when trying to communicate from the sidelines during matches.

Senior players have become disillusioned with his methods, his defensive brand of football has grated and the lack of time off granted to the squad has irked the men.

Mazzarri took a training session on Wednesday morning, followed by a meeting with club chiefs after which the club’s chairman Scott Duxbury issued the following statement:

“After the board discussed with Walter Mazzarri the club’s future goals and aspirations, it was decided he will be stepping down from his position as the club’s head coach after the final game of the 2016-17 season.

“We thank Walter and his staff for the contribution they have made to Watford Football Club over the past year.”

Marco Silva, currently Hull City manager is thought to be in the running as his replacement as and when Mazzarri departs, but Southampton FC have also shown an interest in the Portuguese.